The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-02-12

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I, IS very difficult 10 conceive of a large
country in which diversified Industries
DO not exist, because Of the ordinary laws
Of demand anu supply. Especially Is th''
true of a Coun'ry like our own, where 'he'e
IL IN vida range Of climate, soil aud nat.
ural resources Our farming must he "''
yers,tied The north and the south c"uh
,rv cannot grow the same crops Our
necessities Of daily life call for a great
variety OF occupations, The free trader
claims that If government will keep hands
oiT and not interfere with business, accord
inc = the familiar maxim, the best gov
erament is that which governs least the
business sense of the public will lead them
10 develop all kinds Of industries that VIII
pay and to avoid all that will not pay
That diversified Industries, In the protec-
ZIONIST sense, are not necessary 10 the pros
perity of country, is shown oy the deVeI
opment Of Venice, from little cluster oi
barren Islands, TO be great power IN Eu'
ropean politics by means of commerce
alone. Belgium, in like manner, became
the richest, In proportion, of all the coun-
tries OF Europe, by manufactures alone (;
and these, too, of only few articles Hol-
land depended for years upon commerce
and fisheries. Connecticut Is said 10 have
a greater diversity Of Industries than any
other state; does il prosper more than III,
nois, with comparatively few?
Let no one say, by way Of reply TO this,
that the conditions in Illinois are different
from those in Connecticut. For in that
case the sophism becomes evideHt 1t Is
not, after all. a question of Industries, but
of conditions Diversity of industries may
or. may not be a good thing, according
10 conditions. II would be Just as wise Tor
Illinois TO seek TO make all It's cotton and
wooden goods, as for Connecticut to try to
raise all It's own wheat and pork.
II II Is better for Illinois 70 raise the
wheat, and for Connecticut TO make the
cotton and wooden goods, the free trader is
In the right when he says 1t is better for
each country TO produce or manufacture
what 1t is best adapted TO, and to put no arti-
fetal barriers between the producer and
consumer
Under the working of our present tariff,
some OF our industries are crushed out en-
tIrely. Our ship building has become al.
most nothing. Our manufacture of heavy
machinery has been largely diminished.
Our shipment of wooden wares from Maine
has greatly fallen off because of the tariff
on lumber. Maine manufacturers of
wooden wares have moved their works to
the Canadian provinces, because they can
get their lumber there without duty. All
our industries in brass and copper are ham
pered because of the tariff on copper. The
falling of Of our export In clocks is single
instance In point Our export of plows,
reapers and threshing machines is ham,
pered because of the cost of iron. We used
to ship portable engines to many parts of
the globe. We are almost out OF the mar
ket now, because Of the cost of iron. In
irving to build up our home market" We
have largely cut ourselves out of the mar,
kets Of the world.
With fair field the American mechanic
can beat the world He Is better educated,
and more inventive and adaptive. In fact,
the extra amount which he produces, as
compared with the average European OPP
erative, nearly makes up for any apparent
difference in wages. The American gets
more money, but he does more work. This
is emphatically shown in the Cotton Spin
ners' report, already mentioned. American
workmanship is constantly seeking i'm.
proved means for doing WORK, and our
industries are diversified as much rs they
can well bear. A new industry is of little
worth unless II supplys new want, or In
PRODUCES us 70 new customers. If there Is
a new want the Yankee can be trusted TO
see II and meet II as soon as anybody. II
our new industry Is to compete with those
who are before us In the field We must
have a chance TO reach their other custo.
meIs.
As long ago as 1876 prominent political
economist of our country, who Is a moder-
ate protectionist, said, the cause Of strikes
and lock outs and the stagnation of manu-
featuring industries, is principally this:
We have already developed our manufac-
lures 10 such an extent that va can produce
a years supply in SIX months time. What
we want Is more consumers, and not more
producers"
1t would seem 10 an unprecedented oh
server that one of the best ways to encour.
age manufactures would be TO take off all
the duties on raw material. Twice rs many
persons are working upon iron as are en-
ployed in making iron. Rolling mills,
boiler factories, foundries of all kinds,
sewer and gas pipe manufacturers, makers
of nails screws, tacks, carpenters tools,
cutlery, fire arms, locks, hardware of all
kinds, all who make machinery of any